Malta has one of the largest falls in employment in the EU

The euro area (EA16) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 10.0% in June 2010, unchanged compared with May. It was 9.5% in June 2009. The EU27 unemployment rate was 9.6% in June 2010, unchanged compared with May. It was 9.0% in June 2009.

Eurostat estimates that 23.062 million men and women in the EU27, of whom 15.771 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in June 2010. Compared with May 2010, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 32 000 in the EU27, while it increased by 6 000 in the euro area. Compared with June 2009, unemployment rose by 1.466 million in the EU27, and by 0.788 million in the euro area.

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Austria (3.9%) and the Netherlands (4.4%), and the highest rates in Spain (20.0%), Latvia (20.0% in the first quarter of 2010), and Estonia (19.0% in the first quarter of 2010). Compared with a year ago, four Member States recorded a fall in the unemployment rate, one remained stable and twenty-two showed an increase. The largest falls were observed in Austria (5.1% to 3.9%), Malta (7.2% to 6.5%) and Germany (7.7% to 7.0%) . The highest increases were registered in Estonia (11.0% to 19.0% between the first quarters of 2009 and 2010) and Latvia (13.4% to 20.0% between the first quarters of 2009 and 2010).

Between June 2009 and June 2010, the unemployment rate for males rose from 9.3% to 9.8% in the euro area and from 9.1% to 9.7% in the EU27. The female unemployment rate increased from 9.7% to 10.2% in the euro area and from 8.9% to 9.5% in the EU27.

In June 2010, the youth unemployment rate (under-25s) was 19.6% in the euro area and 20.3% in the EU27. In June 2009 it was 19.5% and 19.6% respectively. The lowest rate was observed in the Netherlands (8.1%), and the highest rates in Spain (40.3%), Estonia (39.8% in the first quarter of 2010) and Latvia (39.5% in the first quarter of 2010). Malta stood at 13.1%.

In the USA , the unemployment rate was 9.5% in June 2010. In Japan it was 5.2% in May 2010.

These figures were published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.